Tailgating is a terrific way to spend an afternoon before a football game. There’s hanging out with friends, consuming good food, talking football, and increasingly — playing a little cornhole. This bean bag toss game is perfect for tailgating. The rules are simple, it’s safe to play in a crowd, and the equipment is easy to store away and transport. But of course you have to have the cornhole board in order to play the game. And that’s why we’re here. Here are instructions on how to build your own cornhole board, along with a short how-to video.

You can download these instructions in printable form at the Home Depot Facebook page. And while you’re at College Gameday Facebook App, check out the instructions for building a scoreboard to go with this cornhole game.

To get the two pieces that create the fold out feet measure a length of 11 1/16 inches, then add a 27° mitered angle.

Repeat to create the other foot.

Step Two: Make the frame

To create the frame of the box take the 48-inch and 21-inch long pieces, and place in the layout of the frame making
sure that the 21-inch long sections sit inside the 48-inch long sides.

Once you’re sure everything is fit and square, pre-drill two pilot holes through each corner of the 48-inch sides and into the 21-inch length. We found it easiest to partially screw all four corners in and then come back and tighten them into place checking to maintain square as we went.

Set the completed frame aside.

Step Three: Make the top

The sheet of plywood needs a hole for the bean bags to be tossed into.

The hole we create will be 6 inches in diameter and centered 9 inches from the top of the plywood. To find the center simply measure down 9 inches from the top of the plywood sheet and mark a horizontal line across the width of the plywood.

Next find the center of this line. Since the plywood is only 2 feet wide place the mark at exactly 1 foot. The hole is easiest to create using a 6-inch hole saw and drill.

Now that the hole has been drilled, take a sanding square and smooth the cut edge. At this point you can screw the plywood top down to the frame, as always, remember to pre-drill pilot holes for your screws.

Step Four: Create the fold-out feet

The fold-out feet need some attention before we place them into the frame. In order to be able to rotate freely the top end needs to be rounded off. Measure 9 9/16” up from the shorter mitered edge and mark. Draw a horizontal line across the width of the foot and find the center of this line. That center mark serves two purposes. One is to show us the center of the half circle we will be cutting the top into and the other is to mark the location of the hole we will eventually drill for our bolt.

Use a compass centered on the mark with the radial arm taken right to the edge of the wood and circle back till you’ve created a half circle that touches both edges. Use a jigsaw and trace the outline as close as possible.

Repeat for the other foot.

Once both edges are rounded, clamp or tape them together and sand them as close to smooth and uniform as you can. We used a palm sander for ours.

TIP: It’s more important to have the edges be smooth than to match exactly.

After sanding, and while the feet are still secured together, take the 3/8-inch spade bit and use the center mark we established earlier and drill through both.

Step Five: Final assembly

With the frame and top assembly on edge, measure down 3 9/16 inches and mark the center for a hole for the hinge bolt. Again, take the 3/8-inch spade bit and drill through, repeating for the other side. Place the foot inside the frame with the shorter of the mitered edges against the plywood. Align the holes, and push the bolt through, securing with a fender washer, nut, and lock nut. Repeat for the other foot and side.

With assembly complete, feel free to go back with wood filler over any screw divots or imperfections, paint it in your favorite team’s colors, and you’re ready for a tailgate cornhole tournament.

ChrisFixit shows you these steps for the cornhole game in this short video.

ESPN’s College GameDay was built by The Home Depot, and now The Home Depot’s Facebook page has a College GameDay app. The app features tailgating DIY projects, including how-tos for a tailgate table and ladder golf. It also helps fans find great tailgating products at great prices.

[...] app features tailgating DIY projects, including how-tos for a tailgate table, ladder golf and cornhole game. It also helps fans find great tailgating products at great prices. For even more tailgating ideas [...]